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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. band — a ring
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cold — an illness
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pitch — completely
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. swing — music
  20. band — a music group
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com